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The practice continues in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR), Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Uganda, Mr. Ban notes in his latest report on children and armed conflict, covering the period from October 2006 to August 2007.

Mr. Barry Gardiner, the special envoy of the British Prime Minister, visited Mbandaka from 23-24 January 2008, accompanied by the Congolese minister for the Environment Jose Endondo and the UK Ambassador in the DRC Nick Kay.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the agreement reached today between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and armed groups in the country's war-torn east as an "important step," pledging the United Nations' continuing support to end the suffering of the population there.

MONUC, the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), welcomes the success of the Kivus conference on peace, security and development. One of the first concrete results is the signature of the "acts of engagement" of Goma which mark the beginning of a process intended to durably restore peace and security in the provinces of North and South Kivu in eastern DRC.

The United States welcomes the signing of a peace agreement with the goal of helping bring lasting stability to eastern Congo and addressing the underlying causes of the conflict. The agreement calls for an immediate cease-fire, demobilization or reintegration of all armed groups, and the return of all Congolese refugees and internally displaced persons.

A peace pact has been signed in Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by the government and armed groups. Dissident rebel Gen Laurent Nkunda and pro-government Mai Mai militia finally agreed to sign after long negotiations.

“The conflict and its aftermath, in terms of fatalities, surpass any other since World War II,” says the aid group’s president, George Rupp. “Congo’s loss is equivalent to the entire population of Denmark or the state of Colorado perishing within a decade. Although Congo’s war formally ended five years ago, ongoing strife and poverty continue to take a staggering toll. We hope this week’s peace agreement in North Kivu will mean an end to the hostilities and a restart of reconciliation and recovery efforts.”

Talks on the future of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are coming to an end, with a peace agreement expected to be signed on Tuesday. Mediators at the talks say there is a general agreement between the government and the key rebel leader.

The insurgency led by dissident general Laurent Nkunda in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has spelt out its demands at a peace conference to end the conflict in the troubled North and South Kivu provinces in the east, where, according to the UN, insecurity and human rights abuses have displaced at least half a million people in the past 12 months.

A senior government official in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has claimed that about 30 percent of members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which has been active in eastern DRC for more than a decade, were actually Congolese citizens, and called on them to hand over their weapons before a forcible disarmament operation in mid-March.